With the combination of Chinese culture and local Heilongjiang flavor presented in a thrilling high-tech way, the opening ceremony of the Harbin Asian Winter Games promises to dazzle with a cool celebration of sporting feats and continental unity.
The ceremony, which starts on Friday night at the Harbin International Conference, Exhibition and Sports Center, will deliver a captivating glimpse of the host city's unique winter charm with Harbin's landmarks, local cultural elements and its winter sports tradition demonstrated in the show, according to the ceremony's creative team.
The breathtaking beauty of the "Ice City", as Harbin is known throughout the world, set the tone for the aesthetic and programming of the entire show, which is sure to leave a profound impression on every spectator, said Sha Xiaolan, chief director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games.
"A series of local cultural elements, folk activities and the city's natural bond with ice and snow, which impressed our crew, will be integrated into the ceremony in a creative way," said Sha, who was also the mastermind behind the highly acclaimed ceremonies for the 2023 summer edition of the Games in Hangzhou.
"In addition to demonstrating Harbin's profound tradition and history, we'd like to promote more of the vibrant image of modern China and the aspiring spirit of Chinese people," Sha added.
The Games' official slogan "Dream of Winter, Love among Asia" was also adopted as the inspiration for the theme of the opening show, while the creative team's yearlong preparatory work of research, field study and interviews has added so much more to enrich the ceremony's artistic and cultural flair, according to chief producer Wu Yan.
"We've done over 40 revised versions of the programming, and have done all we can to perfect each and every detail," said Wu, who was on Sha's team for the Hangzhou Games in 2023.
To highlight the thrilling winter attraction of Harbin, the opening ceremony — with the majority of its program staged at the indoor exhibition center — will also feature outdoor performances at the Harbin Ice and Snow World, a must-visit tourism destination featuring astonishing ice sculptures, where rehearsals have been carried out since November.
The stage effects at the exhibition center will be significantly enhanced by digital technologies, such as augmented reality, glasses-free 3D animations and ultra HD background screens, to guarantee an immersive experience for both live spectators and television viewers, said Wu.
Use of such high-tech techniques will help the creative team put Harbin's "coldest and prettiest" beauty of ice and snow on display, together with the "hottest and warmest "emotions of the host, as it calls for solidarity throughout Asia, according to Leng Song, chief writer for the ceremonies.
"The entire opening ceremony venue will be built into an innovative 'reception room' for guests across Asia," said Leng.
"We are striving to extend our imagination and the host's generosity beyond the limit of the performing space," he said.
Nearly 1,000 performers involved in the opening ceremony — who are mainly local college students — have been training and rehearsing for the show for over two months, according to producer Wu.
Despite Harbin's sometimes extreme cold, the passion and dedication of everyone on the cast have inspired them to keep pursuing perfection in their performances.
"The freezing cold is intimidating, but the passion of everyone involved has been so uplifting that we've all been bursting with extra enthusiasm," said Wu.
"We are fully confident that we will put on a unique and impressive opening show for everyone across Asia to remember."
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